Practice and Malpractice: Physician Responses to the Liability 'Crisis'

Mississippi is a largely rural state with many poor and unhealthy residents who are chronically underserved by the smallest per capita physician workforce in the nation. Anecdotal reports claimed Mississippi‘s medical malpractice climate jeopardized patient access to health care even further. Using...

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Main Authors: Lynne Cossman, Debra Street
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Kennesaw State University 2008-12-01
Series:Journal of Public and Professional Sociology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/jpps/vol2/iss1/3
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author Lynne Cossman
Debra Street
author_facet Lynne Cossman
Debra Street
author_sort Lynne Cossman
collection DOAJ
description Mississippi is a largely rural state with many poor and unhealthy residents who are chronically underserved by the smallest per capita physician workforce in the nation. Anecdotal reports claimed Mississippi‘s medical malpractice climate jeopardized patient access to health care even further. Using survey data from Mississippi physicians, we document how medical liability perceptions shaped their practices at the height of the Mississippi malpractice crisis. Our findings show that physicians‘ risk profiles strongly influenced the extent to which physicians reported practicing defensive medicine or considered relocating or retiring early in response to malpractice conditions. This raises the specter of further compromising access to physician care in an already underserved state.
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spelling doaj-art-04bfae7e9fd6464188fb25b10dc325ce2025-08-20T02:46:07ZengKennesaw State UniversityJournal of Public and Professional Sociology2154-89352008-12-012110.62915/2154-8935.1005Practice and Malpractice: Physician Responses to the Liability 'Crisis'Lynne Cossman 0Debra Street 1Mississippi State UniversitySUNY BuffaloMississippi is a largely rural state with many poor and unhealthy residents who are chronically underserved by the smallest per capita physician workforce in the nation. Anecdotal reports claimed Mississippi‘s medical malpractice climate jeopardized patient access to health care even further. Using survey data from Mississippi physicians, we document how medical liability perceptions shaped their practices at the height of the Mississippi malpractice crisis. Our findings show that physicians‘ risk profiles strongly influenced the extent to which physicians reported practicing defensive medicine or considered relocating or retiring early in response to malpractice conditions. This raises the specter of further compromising access to physician care in an already underserved state. https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/jpps/vol2/iss1/3physician workforcepractice patternsmedical malpractice
spellingShingle Lynne Cossman
Debra Street
Practice and Malpractice: Physician Responses to the Liability 'Crisis'
Journal of Public and Professional Sociology
physician workforce
practice patterns
medical malpractice
title Practice and Malpractice: Physician Responses to the Liability 'Crisis'
title_full Practice and Malpractice: Physician Responses to the Liability 'Crisis'
title_fullStr Practice and Malpractice: Physician Responses to the Liability 'Crisis'
title_full_unstemmed Practice and Malpractice: Physician Responses to the Liability 'Crisis'
title_short Practice and Malpractice: Physician Responses to the Liability 'Crisis'
title_sort practice and malpractice physician responses to the liability crisis
topic physician workforce
practice patterns
medical malpractice
url https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/jpps/vol2/iss1/3
work_keys_str_mv AT lynnecossman practiceandmalpracticephysicianresponsestotheliabilitycrisis
AT debrastreet practiceandmalpracticephysicianresponsestotheliabilitycrisis